No News Is Bad News-Muckrakers Needed

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Have you watched the news lately? Did you see all of the tragic accident scenes that are sadly typical of long weekend news follow-up? Did you watch the 30 minutes of weather forecasting that has become mandatory to any one hour news program?

The news this morning featured local accidents that happened yesterday, complete with close-up shots of a man on a stretcher surrounded by EMS professionals. Shocking. It’s almost t shocking enough to make a girl forget about what’s really going on out there in the big, scary world.

Even more shocking than the terrified face of the man strapped to the stretcher was the 5 seconds devoted to the impending Air Canada Flight Attendant strike and the rotating “Wall Street” riots in the United States.

More shocking still (actually, not shocking any more) is the lack of independent journalistic inquiry (a 21st century oxymoron) into the real reasons the Flight Attendants want to strike, and why, our “democratic” federal government feels justified in legislating the negotiations between the union, and the fat-cat-gluttony of Air Canada itself.

No offense Air Canada, you’re just one of many we’ve let eat all of the leftovers while we starve beside you. You’re actually my airline of choice. Your in-flight service is great, and your Flight Attendants are world-class.

I’ve heard that Air Canada needs to compete in the industry. I can live with that. I can’t live with the federal government protecting capitalist interests and taking our independent rights away to negotiate our working conditions. Before you go all redneck on me bitching about the unemployment rate and all of the people “who would be damn grateful for the work”, calm your patriotic erection down.

Take a big, deep breath and then repeat about 10 times. Think.

What happened to the social groups who fought hard for worker’s rights in the early 20th century? They lobbied and suffered so we had a 40 hour work week, benefits, and safe working conditions. We’re on the pendulum swing back to that. We need modern Muckrakers, and we need solidarity in large numbers.

Think about what you’re hearing and seeing in 30 second clips, and why oh-conglomerate-news-agencies-oh why are we not seeing full news articles investigating working conditions and getting information about the steadily increasing profit margins of those companies who are thriving? (Just an aside -we might like to also see the numbers on the billions of dollars paid via public taxes to private contracts for our Middle East “peace” keeping mission).

Large companies are getting larger and have created monopolies in every sector. Our “news” is owned by a few large newsmakers who have an interest in their own investments. And here we are bitching that we may not be able to make our flight if the underpaid, overworked Flight Attendants strike. Poor us.

It’s not an uncommon symptom of how and why the gap between the ultra-rich and the poor is becoming a groaning void. More and more people are losing their full-time jobs to contract and part-time positions. The bottom line for the capitalist elite is skyrocketing while the working class has to work harder and harder only to realize at the end of every month that the “ends” do not meet.

If you support losing full-time work, benefits for families, and stuffing the already obese pockets of the elite with wealth with profits that should belong to the blue and white-collar workers who actually work for it, by all means support our government in their pro-capitalist interference.

I’m not saying I’m right. I am saying that the Canadian government taking away our rights as worker is wrong. If we don’t get off of our apathetic part-time-employed-behinds, soon we will be in big, big, trouble. A democracy is only a democracy if the citizens participate.

I guess this wasn’t really a funny girly blog was it? I’m sorry. You’re very, very sexy when you think though. You too boys. Just think political participation and passion about human rights could get you out there and meeting your Mr. or Ms. Right.

Dare to be political. Dare to be cerebral. Dare to be sexy. Pass it on.